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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0. F. OTTO.

VELOGIPEDB WHEEL.

No. 309,355. Patenteil D eo. 16, 1884.

FIG.2.

Warren .rarns ATIENT r1 ED\VARD O. F. OTTO, OF PEOKHAM, COUNTY OFSURREY, ENGLAND.

VELOCIPEDE- -WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 309,355, dated December16, 1884.

Application filed February 27, 1884. (No model.) Patented in EnglandNovember 17. 1883, No. 5,433.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD CARL FRIED- RICH Or'ro, a subject of theQueenof Great Britain, residing at Peckham, in the county of Surrey,England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVelocipede- Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

In the drawings, Figure l is an end view, and Fig. 2 a sectional view,of a velocipedewheel constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is adetail view of part of a spoke. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a wheelwith two sets of spokes. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of another form ofwheel with two sets of spokes, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a formof wheel with three sets of spokes.

In the spider-wheels now generally used for velocipedcs there are twosets of spokes,which are held in a great tension, which insureslightness and a certain amount of strength vertically or radially, but,on the other hand, produces a state of unstable equilibrium, so that acomparatively light blow against one side of the wheel by collision withsome object causes the immediate buckling of the rim and collapse of thewhole wheel.

The main object of this invention is to construct a velocipedewheel inwhich the deleterious effect of lateral and other blows is greatlydiminished, and which shall also possess great lightness, strength, andelasticity, and which may at the same time, in some cases,advantageously be made considerably narrower at the nave than those nowin use. For this purpose I construct the wheel with two or three sets ofspokes, which spokes are all in tension, and which are secured to therim and to the nave. These spokes are, for the sake of affordingelasticity, made undulating or wave-shaped, and that either undulatingin one direction only, or twisted, or helical.

The advantage of having three sets of spokes will be understood from thefollowing comparison. In the case of ordinary velocipedewheels, wherethere are only two outer sets of spokes in high tension,these actagainst each other, forming, as already stated, an unstable equilibrium,which is easily disturbed by any slight lateral blow; butin these myimproved wheels I can and do employ a less tension in the spokes bothwhen I use two and when I use three sets of spokes, so that a lateralblow has not the same destructive effect, while at the same time thethird or central set of spokes, when used, neutralizes the effect of alateral blow and adds to the stiffness of the whole wheel. Theconsequence of this, again, is that my improved wheel, when made withthree sets of spokes, can with advantage be made much narrower at thenave, which is very desirable in bicycles, as well as in tricyelesin theformer case because the rider gets his feet closer together and in amore natural and less fatiguing position for the work, and in the lattercase because the width of the machine is decreased, so as to enable itto pass through narrower doorways. I make the nave with two or threeflanges, according to the number of sets of spokes employed. By makingthe spokes of an undulating or helical form I am enabled to reduce thetension, and thus to make it a yielding tension, not only as regardslateral blows,but in a general sense as to all blows caused by theinequalities of the road, thus producing more case and com.- fort inriding, greater speed over rough ground, and less wear and ,tear of themachine.

Fig. 1 is an end view, and Fig. 2 asectional view, of such a wheel inwhich all three sets of spokes A A are made of such an undulating orhelical 'formviz., either, as shown at A, Figs. 1 and 2, of anundulating form in one direction only, or, as shown at A, Fig. 1, of ahelical form. (More clearly shown in Fig. 2, which is a part view of onesuch helical spoke.) Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a velocipede-wheelwith two sets of spokes A of an undulating form, whereby similaradvantages are gainedviz., a smaller tension and a yielding tension, agreater resistance to lateral blows, and more elasticity than theordinary velocipede-wheels. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of avelocipede-wheel with three sets of spokes A of a helical form, and Fig.5 a view of a velocipede-wheel with two sets, A of spokes of helicalform.

The numerous light steel spokes are in all cases at their outer endsformed with heads, which are countersunk into the rim. The latter ismade of a concave form to receive the indie-rubber tire. The inner endsof the spokes are screwed into holes in the flanges sion, all the saidspokes being fastened to the formed on the hub or nave B. rim andscrewed into the flanges of the nave,

I claim as my invention,- I substantially as described. A VeloeipedeWheel consisting of a rim 1 steel spokes of a proportionately gteaterten- IO formed to receive an india-rubber tire, a OTTO flanged nave, B,and two sets of radial ten- Witnesses:

sional undulating steel spokes, in combination F. BARBET,

with a central set of radial undulating elastic J. DEAN.

